West Indies' new captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul could have had no complaints about his own form or that of Wavell Hinds as a double century apiece enabled them to declare early, perhaps surprisingly, on the second day of the first Test here yesterday.

But Chanderpaul could be leading a considerably stronger team into next Friday's second Test in Trinidad with Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards all being temporarily released yesterday from their personal endorsements with Cable & Wireless after a clash of sponsorships. The previous day Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle had terminated personal deals with the British telecommunications company, who reacted yesterday by temporarily releasing the remaining five players, pending full arbitration of the issue by Judge Adrian Saunders.

However the dispute is not over. The West Indies Players' Association yesterday outlined eight more contentious points as terms of reference it wishes the judge to consider. But Lara, who was eligible for Guyana, is likely to make himself available with the rest of his former C&W colleagues, although neither he nor Sarwan has played any competitive cricket since August.

Heavy overnight rain reduced the first session to one hour and that belonged to West Indies. But in the fourth over after lunch South Africa finally managed to split Hinds and Chanderpaul, who had been together since the same time on the first day.

Hinds was caught behind off Charl Langeveldt for 213, his highest career score and the best by a West Indian against South Africa, overtaking Lara's innings of 202. Ryan Hinds joined Chanderpaul, made 48 himself and the captain moved past 150 as the pair put on 116 for the fifth wicket. But West Indies' strategists surprised everyone by declaring an hour before the scheduled close, with Chanderpaul having just scored his first double Test century off 370 balls with 23 boundaries.

With the local Test debutant Narsingh Deonarine in double figures and the local crowd chanting "Guyana v South Africa", the skies were seriously overcast and, with three full days left on a placid batting track, the declaration seemed unlikely. The rain that had caused a late start returned almost immediately, allowing the West Indies opening bowler Pedro Collins only two deliveries, one a no-ball, before the players had to leave the field.

South African hopes had been raised briefly just before lunch, when Andre Nel appeared to have trapped Hinds plumb lbw. Instead the impetus immediately swung back to West Indies when Aleem Dar, evidently judging that Hinds had put a bit of bat to ball, awarded him four runs.

Hinds had achieved his double century off the previous ball with a fine-leg boundary, one of the six West Indian fours in the session - four from his bat, if you count the one that Aleem Dar included.

Langeveldt and Nel had bowled almost faultlessly. On many another occasion they would have tempted the West Indians into fishing at their few perhaps deliberately wayward deliveries.

But Wavell Hinds and Chanderpaul batted in vintage West Indian style, not like those of the more recent, disposable variety who have been inclined to throw their wickets away.